Monday, August 22, 2011

I hope you had a good weekend! We are busy getting ready for school, which starts on Tuesday. I had planned to post tomorrow once I got the girls off, but I received some emails and comments on my last post – painting non-wood, and wanted to get some information out there.

The questions all pertained to Chalk Paint. So, let me answer what I can and provide resources for more details.

Where do I get Chalk paint?

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint can be purchased from stockists across the country. If you are lucky, you may have a stockist near you and you will avoid the hefty shipping charges. I placed my last order from www.robynstorydesigns.com, I was very pleased.

What brush do I use?

I love my Purdy brushes. You can get these at any home store. I got mine at Home Depot. They are pricier, but worth it! They clean up great and I have had them for a long time and a lot of projects.

I have many sizes and select the brush based on my project.

I also have many artist brushes that I use for the detailed projects. I got these at Hob Lob.

You mention sanding and distressing, what do you use?

I have many, many types of sandpaper. Grit matters, so I have a large variety.

I use sanding blocks for distressing. You can also wet the sanding block and distress chalk paint. I also wrap a fresh sheet of sandpaper around my sanding block (or you can use a piece of wood). I find this easy to work with. You have much more control than using the power tools.

I have a hand-held sander and a mac-daddy sander. Both have been adopted from my hubby’s stash. I use these (mainly the hand-held) for prep work.

Wax…

Oh, I feared the wax! Annie Sloan offers a clear wax and a dark wax. Well, my first order I only got the dark wax. BIG MISTAKE. You need clear wax.

So, I went to Home Depot and in the car section, I picked up some Johnson’s paste wax. Some HD’s stock wax in the paint department. Our HD only had Natural. Not what I wanted, so I opted for the car wax.

I put it on with a rag. I prefer this method over the brush. I have used a dedicated brush for waxing, but it wasn’t working for me. Just know, once that brush goes in wax, you will have to thoroughly clean it before using it again. My solution was to label the brush wax and only use it for that purpose.

Annie Sloan does sell a brush for waxing.

Despite speaking with a stockist, I was not happy coating the chalk paint with a poly. They say you can, but I did not like the result. Wax is the way to go!

Dark Wax

I do have the Annie Sloan Dark Wax. I have applied it with both a brush and a rag. Again, I prefer the rag.

First step, wax with clear wax!

Then, use the dark wax over the clear wax!

If you apply the dark wax directly over chalk paint, you will stain your paint.

When you apply the dark over the clear, you have control. You can simply wipe off the dark wax if you do not get the effect you want.

This is the best tip I can offer! I applied the dark wax directly to a piece and ended up repainting!

Not an expert

I am no expert. I have used chalk paint for a few months (and many projects) and LOVE it!

I use it on wood, laminate, other faux wood.

Distresses like butter!

No sanding or priming – saves so much time.

My only reluctance is to use chalk paint on something that gets a lot of wear ie: kitchen table top. I am struggling with this, I just do not know how durable the surface will be. I am waiting to hear some feedback before I decide.

Other Tips

Three coats of Chalk Paint = a colored chalkboard.

You can use it on metal, wood, walls or terracotta.

You can mix paint colors, to create a unique color.

You can layer colors.

You can create a wash, with paint and water.

I hope this helps! There are experts that can provide details and offer tutorials. I have learned a lot by referencing them.